How to use this site

Welcome to my VST tutorial site. This post is a sticky, so please scroll down for the latest content. If this is your first visit then please view the ‘pages’ links in the right hand column. These will tell you how to easily build the VST plugins which come with the SDK from Steinberg. If you are comfortable with the builds then please scan my other posts which give tips and tricks to other VST programming newcommers. 

Enjoy your stay and be sure to check back regularly

Site revamp

The site is undergoing construction at the moment while I give it a bit of a revamp. While I have less time than ever, I’ve decided to start structuring this site a bit better and actually start a tutorial on how to make a simple, usable 3-band eq plugin from start to finish. I’ll include a detailed explanation of each step from setting up the development environment, through to completion the final product GUI and all. Sorry it has taken a year to get beyond the basic SDK build tutorials. I’ll try to do some work on this weekly from now! . . . maybe . . . .

Build VST plugins using Code::Blocks

I just put this up on the KVR audio site in response to a thread and thought I’d put a copy here for good measure.

Build again in code::blocks . . .

1) Make new EMPTY project and call it “again” – you can save this anywhere on your system

2) Assuming you have put the sdk at c:\vstsdk2.4, then right click on the project you have just created, select build options, got to the ’search directories’ tab and add c:\vstsdk2.4 to the list.

3) Right click on the project and select add files. Add the following:
C:\vstsdk2.4\public.sdk\source\vst2.x\audioeffect. cpp
C:\vstsdk2.4\public.sdk\source\vst2.x\audioeffectx .cpp
C:\vstsdk2.4\public.sdk\source\vst2.x\vstplugmain. cpp
C:\vstsdk2.4\public.sdk\samples\vst2.x\again\sourc e\again.cpp
C:\vstsdk2.4\public.sdk\samples\vst2.x\again\sourc e\again.h

4) Right click on the project, select ‘Properties’, navigate to the ‘Build targets’ tab and select ‘Dynamic library’ from the ‘Type’ drop down list.

5) Right click the project, select ‘Build options’ go to the linker settings tab and under ‘Other linker options’ add the following:
-def C:\vstsdk2.4\public.sdk\samples\vst2.x\win\vstplug .def

6) Build the project.

i am a . . .

I am a Space-invader. I will happily recruit the help of friends to aid me in getting what I want. I have no tolerance for people getting in my way, and I am completely relentless until any threats or opposition are removed. I try to be down-to-earth, but something always seems to get in the way. What Video Game Character Are You?

Learn C++ the fun way

I recently found this fantastic tutorial website which teaches the reader the basics of creating video games using the SDL library. This may have only a vague relevance to VST programming, however, the tutorials are incredibly clear and use C++ (rather than straight C used in many other tutorials) throughout. If you’re having trouble learning C++ by reading books with the standard dull “now we shall make an employee class for our payroll system zzzzzZzzzzZzzz” then I strongly suggest that you check this out. The author does not expect any prior knowledge of C++ programming, and it is a great way of learning by doing. The comments of the readers say it all for me.

The author of this tutorial recommends that you use the code::blocks IDE. I too have more recently become an advocate of using code::blocks due to its fantastic debugging capabilities and plugin support for profiling with gprof. Code::Blocks uses the same open source GNU c++ compiler which I use in the tutorials here but has its own build system built in rather than using SCons. The only reason I show the reader how to use SCons is for educational purposes, so that they have a really good idea of what they are doing with the source files in each example I present. It is just as easy to use code::blocks for VST plugin development once you want debugging and profiling support.

Lots of hits

I’ve just checked back here for the first time in ages to see if this blog had broken 10k hits and we’re actually up to 12k. How exciting Very sorry to anyone looking here for updates or new content as I’ve been absolutely swamped with studies. It doesn’t look like I’ll be back to posting on here until 2010 at the current rate of thesis writing. I do have lots of ideas I want to play with though and I will post some more content in the new year. Thanks for stopping by to look!

pyvst – those pesky numpy data types

This is more of a note for myself than an actual blog post, but I’ve found a useful little resource to help get the numpy data typed to talk with the vst sdk. I plan on doing all of the numerical processing using numpy arrays and the like to make rapid development and testing easy. see the resource here. Sorry to anyone checking up on this about the delay since previous posts. I’m pretty snowed under with studies at the moment and don’t have much time to spend here as a consequence. I’m still alive though!!

Ride my fish

Ok, it is shameless plug time. My band has a new demo out which I think you’ll enjoy. Check it out on myspace music using this link.

more pyvst

Ok, pyvst is stil chugging along but the python C API is pretty massive and has a lot of functions to get my small brained head around. I’ve got the again demo supplied in the vst sdk returning random numbers to the fader label after each buffer, which is useless on its own but another step forward. Watch this space. I’m still chugging along and coming up with some cool feature ideas.

python and vst in harmony

I’ve seen that my short post a while back has generated quite a few hits to my site from people searching for “python vst” and similar on Google. For those here looking for a way to program plugins using python fear not! I am actively developing this when I find time, but time is a little tight at the moment!

I’ve got some basic python stuff integrated with c code now after finding some helpful tutorials on the code project website here and here. I’m just trying to get numpy to play nice with c style arrays and then I’ll get something out soon as possible. Ability to pass numpy arrays will allow the python programmer to use all of the functionality built into scipy for filtering and ffts etc.

The code project tutorial linked above also gives threading advice, so it may be possible to make some pretty serious plugins. The plan at the moment is to compile a dll, which will search its directory for a python script of the same name and then run all of its processing from there. The aim being to keep things as neat and as simple as possible. Back to reading the numpy api for me!

NEW soundcard

Just ordered a Focusrite Saffire pro 40. I’m like a kid waiting for Christmas to arrive. Can’t wait to get the band demo recorded. Hopefully it’ll be here mid week. I’ll write a little review when it arrives.